The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

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The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Image 3 of 14

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Image 4 of 14

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

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The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Image 7 of 14

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

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The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Image 9 of 14

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

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The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

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The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Image 13 of 14

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

The Brookfield colonial is believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. The house at 11 Whisconier Road was built in 1754 and originally served as a dairy farm.

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

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Brookfield house believed to be part of Underground Railroad

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BROOKFIELD — Legend has it that slaves fleeing captivity in the South before the Civil War would stop at 11 Whisconier Road on their way to freedom in the North.

Connie Sue Summerlin, who owns the 18th-century colonial, hasn’t researched the legend, but several things make her believe the house played a critical role in the country’s history.

The biggest clue is the trap door and crawl space in the dining room, which was originally the kitchen. A neighbor also told her once that the house is named in some historical documents as being a stop on the famous Underground Railroad.

“It’s part of our national history,” Summerlin said. “It’s such a treasure.”

The house was originally built in 1754 for Caleb Baldwin, an early settler, who passed the house on to his son, Matthew Baldwin, the deacon of the the Congregational Church. Various local and religious leaders have owned the house over the years, and it once served as the center of a dairy farm. Only the foundation of the original barn remains.

The home underwent a few additions over the years. The site of today’s kitchen was once part of the yard where the cows would gather under an overhang for warmth in the winter.

Summerlin bought the house 27 years ago. She and her now ex-husband were drawn to the house’s history and character.

“As soon as we walked in, we loved it,” she said.

Summerlin made only a few additions of her own, including a three-car garage with a loft that looks like a barn from the 1700s, along with a stone patio.

She said she and her daughter, Sarah, have tried to be keepers of history by preserving the house as much as possible while living there. The chestnut floorboards, plaster walls and hand-hewn beams are all original.

“I have imagined how this home was not only our special family home, but that it has served as home and refuge for two centuries of families before us, and will serve as home to many families in the future who I trust will be aware of and appreciate all the American history it embodies,” she said. Summerlin found a historic rug loom in the attic that she donated to the historical society.

The road’s name has an interesting past of its own. Legend has it that Native Americans would get whiskey from a tavern at the foot of a hill and would tell any traveler looking for a tavern to go to “Whiskey near hill,” which became Whisconier, Summerlin said.

In honor of the house’s history, she named the home “Liberty Hill,” carving the name into one of the stones on the property.

Summerlin was also drawn to the two-acre property and the surrounding woodlands, which exude a sense of peacefulness. A highlight is the century-old maple trees that line the drive.

”It's like a golden umbrella in the autumn,” she said.

Andy Sachs, the listing agent for the property, said the house has been lovingly cared for and is updated, while still maintaining the antique charm. Some of the more modern elements include the renovated bathrooms and kitchen, as well as a large living room.